


The Fairy Tale in Which Your Wave Function is Collapsed

by thought



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, chameleon circuits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-22
Updated: 2012-03-22
Packaged: 2017-11-02 08:36:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/367054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thought/pseuds/thought
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're exactly what I need"</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fairy Tale in Which Your Wave Function is Collapsed

"Once upon a time there was a girl named Laura."

He looks up. "That's not the right story."

*

"Who did you love before me?" she asks him, a question forged in fires of curiosity and possessiveness and thrown out in a fit of late-night bravado.

"The only person I've ever loved was another Time Lord. I'd loved him since we were in school together and I don't think he'd have let me love anyone else." He pauses. "Dead now, of course."

His fingers worry at the leather of his jacket when he answers. "During the war I was quite in love with a human man... He was fantastic. Stayed with me even when he should have left." He drops the jacket on a chair. "Dead now, of course."

"I fell in love with the president of my entire planet. She wasn't the president when I first met her, naturally, but she was wonderful and courageous and in that, she was a little bit terrible." He closes his eyes, turns away. "Dead now, of course."

*

The Doctor has nightmares. Rose sits at his bedside, stroking his hair until he settles.

The Doctor has nightmares, so he doesn't sleep until he's sure Rose has gone to bed.

The Doctor has nightmares. So does Rose.

*

She scratches her arm on a branch and the skin doesn't show a mark.

She scratches her arm on a branch and for a moment, she's bleeding golden light.

This never happened.

*

Rose sees possibilities before they happen. She knows she shouldn't, but it feels as natural as breathing. Sometimes, she knows what The Doctor is going to do before he does it, and sometimes a part of her hates him.

Rose sees every timeline she has ever lived and ever will live and is living at this moment, and this, and this, and this, too. Turn left. Turn right. Don't turn at all. She has done all of these.

Rose sees nothing at all.

*

"It's the Chameleon circuit, alright?" The doctor snaps at the curious shop owner. "'s broken. Old girl doesn't mind."

Rose grins. "He won't get it fixed. If he weren't so stubborn the TARDIS could look like anything at all."

*

The Doctor leads her over to the consul. "Something I want you to see. You shouldn't ever need to know, but it's better you do in case of emergency."

After he's finished describing the Chameleon Arch, rose holds up a hand. "Hold up. What happens to the TARDIS when you swan off all human? I mean, can't exactly convince her that she's just a police box, can you?"

The Doctor doesn't answer.

*

Jackie Tyler had a daughter named Rose.

Jackie Tyler never had a daughter.

Jackie Tyler never had a daughter, but she's got one anyway.

*

Rose takes the energy of the vortex into herself, and the TARDIS opens to her, welcomes her daughter home.

The Doctor is saved, Jack is saved, the universe is saved. With a blatant disregard for his own life, The Doctor takes the energy from her.

*

The Doctor takes her hands in his. "You make me better, Rose Tyler. You're exactly what I need."

Once upon a time there was a girl named Laura.

Once upon a time there was a girl named Rose.

This is not her story.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on lj 11/04/2009


End file.
